The UP Warriorz became the second team in the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 to announced their skipper for the season. Australian wicketkeeper and opener Alyssa Healy, who is wife of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, has been appointed the captain of UP Warriorz for WPL 2023.
Healy was bought for Rs 70 lakh by the Capri Global Holdings Private Limited-owned franchise at the WPL 2023 auction earlier this month. The UP Warriorz, who are one of the five teams in the WPL, put together a dynamic and well-balanced squad at the WPL Player Auctions in Mumbai on 13 February, in which there are a total of 6 overseas players, including the Australian Healy.
The Australia is currently the third-highest run-getter in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 with 146 runs in 3 matches behind England’s Nat-Sciver Brunt and India’s Smriti Mandhana. Healy will be hoping to recover from injury and be ready to face India in the semifinal match on Thursday (February 23).
Healy, one of the most recognised faces in the sport, is a highly experienced and seasoned campaigner, having played 139 games for Australia in T20Is, scoring close to 2,500 runs, with one century and 14 fifties as well. She is also considered to be one of the best wicket-keeper batters in the sport, with 110 dismissals in T20Is.
_ JUST IN _
Alyssa Healy appointed as the captain of UP Warriorz in WPL 2023.#WPL2023 #WPL pic.twitter.com/DEZ9tJeDlf
— Drink Cricket _ (@Abdullah__Neaz) February 22, 2023
One of the senior-most members of the dominant Australian side, Healy has been a key cog in the wheel, and is known to reserve her best performances for the biggest stages, such as the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup Final in Melbourne, where a record-breaking 86,000 people watched Australia win their fifth title.
Healy, who held the record for the most runs scored in an innings in Women’s T20Is with a 61-ball unbeaten 148 against Sri Lanka, has won the Women’s T20 World Cup five times with Australia. The 32-year-old has also won the Women’s ODI World twice in her illustrious career. In 2018, Healy was named ICC T20 Player of the Year after her outstanding performances that drove her nation to a fourth ICC World T20 title. In 2020, Healy was Player of the Match in Australia's T20 World Cup Final victory over India at the MCG.
“I am delighted to have the chance to captain the UP Warriorz in the inaugural edition of the historic WPL that will be played in Mumbai. The WPL is a tournament we have all been keenly waiting on, and the UP Warriorz have a fantastic squad, waiting to making a splash once things get going. We have a good mix of experience and youth along with ability and look forward to putting on a show for our fans. We are here to win and be ruthless in our brand of cricket,” said captain Alyssa Healy.
Speaking on the occasion, Capri Global Holdings Private Limited’s Managing Director, Rajesh Sharma said, “Alyssa is a giant of the game and has an immense amount of experience at the highest level, and also has the winning habit which we want in our team. We hope that the UP Warriorz can make significant strides in this important journey under the leadership of Alyssa Healy, and go on to be a source of joy and inspiration for the women of UP. I wish the team all the best.”
UP Warriorz Squad: Alyssa Healy (Captain), Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh
